Welcome to Woodbury
by Merle's Sugartits
Summary: After Merle escaped Atlanta, he found his way to Woodbury, where he meets Mira Winters. This is the story of his life in Woodbury, before leaving with Daryl. Merle/OC. (Rated M for language, and maybe other stuff later)
1. Welcome to Woodbury

_Author's Note: obviously, I don't own any part of The Walking Dead, neither the TV show, or the comics. I just want to let everyone know that I will never EEEEEVVVVVVEEEEEERRRRRR kill off Merle. I just can't. It's too heartbreaking. I will kill Glenn, or Rick, or Carol, or even the baby before I kill Merle. And also, I don't remember everything Merle said about how he ended up with the Governor, so I'll be improvising. Don't whine, I don't wanna hear it_

Merle pulled up to the large gates and stopped the truck he had stolen when escaping Atlanta. A Hispanic man stood at the top of the gates, a gun in hand, "Get out of the vehicle," he said. Merle turned off the engine and stepped out. When the guy saw his missing hand, he pointed the gun at Merle, "Are you infected?"

"No," he shook his head.

"What happened?"

"I was cuffed to a roof; I had to cut it off to get away."

The man stared him down, debating on what to do.

He turned away for a moment, talking to someone else. When he turned back around, he signaled for the gates to be opened, Merle entered the little town that had been walled off.

He was greeted on the inside by another man, "If you'll follow me, we can get you some medical attention."

Merle was nervous about following the stranger, but damn he was in pain, so he went along with him.

"You have a name?" the man asked.

"Merle, Merle Dixon. And you are?"

"Around here, people just call me 'The Governor'."

As they entered a building, Merle wondered what kind of ego trip this guy had to be on, calling himself the Governor. They entered a room. There was a cot on one side, and one wall was lined with a counter and cabinets. There was a woman in the room, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a white lab coat pulled on over the outfit. Her dark red hair was pulled back and fell in curls. "Mira!" the Governor announced with a smile. She turned and smiled back.

"What can I do for you?"

"This is Merle Dixon, he just arrived here, and as you can see, he's injured. Where's Milton?"

Merle watched as the muscles in her jaw tensed and relaxed. "He's…making a house call."

The Governor nodded, thinking. "Well, then, in that case, if you don't mind tending to Mr. Dixon…"

She shook her head, "Not at all." She turned to Merle, and gestured to the cot, "Have a seat."

He looked from her to The Governor, then walked forward, and sat down on the small bed. The Governor left Mira and Merle alone. Merle watched her as she walked over to a cabinet and started gathering medical supplies, placing them on a tray. "So, you're the town doctor?"

She scoffed, "Something like that." She turned to him and walked over to the cot, she placed the tray down on the small nightstand next to the bed. "Did you cauterize this yourself?" she asked, looking at the stump where his hand used to be.

He nodded.

She stared at it for a moment, "We'll have to clean it up a bit. Is itchy or burning?"

Merle nodded, "It's infected."

She picked up the bottle of alcohol, and a bowl, he held his arm over the bowl.

"This may sting a little," she told him, before pouring alcohol over the stump. He refused to wince or grimace though. Besides, he had been enduring the pain from it this long, he could put up with a little sting. "How did this happen?" she asked, cleaning up the wound before she wrapped it.

"I was in Atlanta."

She looked at him, an eyebrow raised in surprise. She had heard, from other survivors in Woodbury, about what had happened there.

"I was with another group, camped outside the city. Some of us went in to get supplies, and we got stuck there. Some dickhead cop came waltzing in, I lost my temper, and I ended up handcuffed to the roof."

"Oh."

He noticed the way she pursed her lips at his use of profanity, and a small smirk played across his lips. "Anyways, when they made their escape, the key was dropped down a drain. I ended up cutting off my hand so I could get away."

She didn't reply. She just picked up the roll of gauze, cut a length of it, and began wrapping it around his wrist.

"I'm not infected," he assured her. "I didn't get bit."

She stood, "Well, that's good to know." She went to one of the other cabinets and Merle saw the bottles of different medications inside. He watched her grab one, and a cup. She shook two pills out, and filled the cup with water. "This will help with the pain," she handed the pills and water to him.

He smiled and downed the medicine.

The Governor returned awhile later, "So how is he?" he asked Mira.

"He'll be fine."

He smiled, "That's good to hear." He had her step outside the room, "Do you think he's gonna turn?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so. The only infection is from not getting the proper medical treatment sooner. I believe he'll make it though, he doesn't seem fevered or anything."

"Good." He thought for a moment, then gave her a key, "Why don't you give him a tour of the town, and then put him in the apartment next to yours. If you would, keep an eye on him."

She nodded, "Of course."

The Governor walked away, and she went back into the room, "Mr. Dixon, if you'd like, I'll give you the grand tour," she told him with a smile.

He stood, returning her smile, "I'd like that. And please, just call me Merle."

"Of course." They left the infirmary, and went outside.


	2. Invitation to Dinner

Mira led Merle through the town, showing him around, "So, your name's Mira?" he asked, after having heard the Governor call her that.

She nodded, "Yes."

"Like Mir_ror_?"

"Don't call me that."

He grinned; she narrowed her eyes at him. "This is a nice little set up you've got here."

She smiled, "We all do our parts." She saw Martinez, he waved and she waved back. "You already met Martinez when you came in; he's in charge of the guards. Then there's Milton and I, we're basically the town doctors, as you put it." They walked into a small park, there was a garden being grown in one corner. "Which, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet him, considering your…uh…affliction."

As she gave the tour, Merle stayed silent. He wasn't paying much attention to the words she said, but he liked the way she said them. She had a soft accent, like a southern belle, a plantation owner's daughter stuck in the wrong time.

She led him into another building, "This is where you'll stay," she said, leading him up the stairs, and to an apartment. She pulled a key out of her pocket and opened the door, they stepped inside. "The bedroom and bathroom are through there," she told him, pointing out the way. "Then there's the kitchen, I'll bring you some groceries tomorrow, but in the meantime, you're more than welcome to have dinner with me tonight. I'm sure you'd like a shower, we have hot water," she smiled, "I…um…I'll go see if Martinez or someone has some clothes you could borrow."

"Okay," he smiled and she grinned.

She left the building and walked to the gates, "Hey!" she called to Martinez.

He jumped down, with a smile, "Hey."

"Um…I was wondering if you had any extra clothes."

"For that new guy?"

She nodded.

Martinez reached up and scratched behind his ear, "You think he's safe?"

She shrugged, "I don't think he's going to turn, if that's what you mean."

She watched his jaw work, the muscle tense, then relax. Martinez put his hand on Mira's shoulder, "Until we know more about this guy, be careful around him."

She smiled reassuringly, "I'll be fine, okay. Now, about those clothes?"

When Mira returned to Merle's new apartment, she knocked on the door, but there wasn't an answer. She opened the door, as he walked out of the bed room, completely naked and fresh out of the shower. Her mouth fell open, and her cheeks turned red, as she struggled to find something to say. He stood there grinning. She stepped forward finally, placing the clothes over the back of a chair, she turned and hurried out.

Before she could leave, Merle called out, "You didn't tell me, when's dinner."

"Um…" she didn't turn back around. It was easier to think when she wasn't looking at him. "Six. I'm right next door if you need anything else."

She quickly exited, shutting the door behind her. She closed her eyes and relaxed slightly before walking over to her own apartment.

When Mira was cooking dinner for her and Merle, there was a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock, it was only 5:30, it couldn't be him. She walked over, and opened the door, smiling when she saw the Governor, "Yes?"

He stepped inside the small apartment, and Mira shut the door behind him. "How is the newcomer doing?"

"Fine, he's coming over for dinner tonight."

The Governor seemed to consider her words, "I want to give this to you," he said, offering her a gun.

She shook her head, "I don't need that."

"Please, we don't know anything about this guy, and I'm thoughtlessly putting you in danger."

She shook her head again, "I'll be fine, I'm certain he won't turn."

"Mira, sweetheart, you're a good person, but you are far too trusting. You don't know anything about this man, other than what he says, and anyone can say anything." He sighed, "Please, take it, put my heart at ease. I'll feel so much better if I know you're protected."

She rolled her eyes, and reluctantly accepted the gun.

"Thank you," he smiled. He heard the sizzle of food cooking from the kitchen, and looked towards the door, and then he looked at Mira again, "If you need anything, do not hesitate to come get me."

"Of course not."

He left, and she sighed, taking the gun into the kitchen with her. Martinez must have talked to the Governor since she last saw him. She looked around the room, trying to decide on where to put the gun. Now that she thought about it, the Governor had a point. What did she know about Merle, other than his name, and how he claimed to have lost his hand. The corners of her mouth twitched as she thought. She needed a place where he wouldn't see it, but somewhere that it would be quick and easy to get to in an emergency.


	3. Welcome to Dinner

_Author's Note: I just want to take a quick moment to think JustAGirlWithALoveForFiction , ShutxThexFrontxDoor, Brazen Hussy, and tomieharley for their reviews as well as everyone that has favorited/followed this story. This is the kind of thing that encourages me to keep writing, and often._

"Just a second!" Mira shouted when she heard the knock on the door. She pulled the pan out of the oven, and sat it on top of the stove. She shut the oven door, and pulled off one of the oven mitts to turn the oven off. She yanked off the other and sat them down on the counter, smoothed out her dress, and left the kitchen to go answer the door.

Merle stood there, fully dressed this time. When she saw the smirk he wore on his face, a slight blush tinted her cheeks. She wordlessly allowed him to enter her home, and shut the door behind him. She led the way into the kitchen, and with him behind her, it was easier to breath, think, and speak. "I just took dinner out of the oven, so it's very hot."

He smiled, "It's been awhile since I had a hot meal."

Considering the way he had looked when he had been brought to the infirmary, she could believe that. She opened a cabinet and took two plates down. Without even asking, she began fixing his plate, after all, he had one hand, how was he supposed to do it himself? She made her plate as well, and turned to place them on the table to find him already sitting. "That's my spot," she quickly shut her mouth, silently reprimanding herself. "I'm sorry, I just…I usually sit there."

He raised an eyebrow, a curious look spreading across his face, but he stood up anyways and switched chairs.

She forced a smile and walked over to the table, placing one plate in front of him, and another where she would sit. Then she walked over to the fridge and took out a pitcher of lemonade, pouring them both a glass. She returned to the table and sat down.

She took her napkin and placed it in her lap, he watched her the whole time. She quickly brushed her fingers across the side of the table, feeling the gun taped there, hidden underneath the table cloth. She picked up her fork and began to eat. "You don't say a blessing before you eat?" he asked.

"Uh…" she was at a loss for words.

"It's fine if you don't," he told her. "I just figured a girl like you probably did things like that."

She smiled, "I didn't even think about it."

He returned her smile and picked up his fork as well.

As they ate, Mira made as little eye contact with Merle as she could. She barely even looked at him. Finally he sat down his fork, "Is everything okay? You're not regretting inviting me over are you?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked up. Mira was certain he knew about the gun. "No, no. I'm fine, everything's fine." They made eye contact and she looked down again.

Merle grinned. The reality was that he was clueless about the gun. He thought Mira was a shy, prude, and was embarrassed to be in the same room with him after seeing him when he got out of the shower, earlier. "It's okay," he said, his voice low.

She looked up at him, her eyebrow rose, "What is?"

"You're embarrassed. There's no need to be."

She thought for a moment, and then it hit her. He was referring to when she seen him naked earlier that day. Her cheeks turned a little pink as she sucked in her bottom lip, biting it.

"Haven't you ever seen a naked man before?"

She looked back down at her plate, and started eating again. He had misread her, and given her an escape, so she took it.

He smiled.

"So, you're a virgin?"

"It doesn't matter, there's no shame in it."

"Have you ever been kissed?"

She decided to ignore him. Why couldn't he just drop it? She hadn't known he was getting out of the shower when she walked in. She hadn't expected to see him like that. Just let it go.

"Why not?"

She sighed, "Because there are more important things than dating; like school, and starting a career, and being able to take care of yourself."

He put down his fork and stared at her. She looked back up at him, unable to read his expression.

"What?"

He shook his head, and she frowned. "Thank you," he finally said when she looked away.

"For what?" she looked back up at him.

"Patching me up, feeding me…no one's ever been this nice to me before."

She shrugged and gave him a half-smile, "It what I do."

His hand covered hers, it was rough and calloused. His fingers closed over hers and he pulled her to him. He stood, placing his arm around her, he kissed her. She stepped back, away from him, out of his grip. "Goodnight," she said, her voice low. She turned and left the kitchen.

Merle listened to her bedroom door close, and he sat back down. He finished his own food, then hers. There was no point in letting it go to waste, and he hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he had walked into her apartment that night. It was the first time in days he hadn't had to hunt, kill, and cook his own meal, and with one hand, he'd been pretty limited at what he could do. When he was done eating, he left her apartment, going back to his. He kicked off his boots and lay down on the bed. He fell asleep almost instantly, it was the first time he had been remotely comfortable since this began.


	4. Gift to Give

When morning came, Mira returned the gun to the Governor, and then she went to confront Martinez for his meddling. Merle was coming out of the apartment building when he saw her walking up to the man at the gates. He couldn't hear what she was saying but he could tell from her gestures and her expressions he had read her wrong the night before. She seemed mad at Martinez, she started to walk away from him, but Martinez grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. He watched the man tuck a strand of loose hair behind Mira's ear, and then he pulled her into a hug.

Merle decided to go find the Governor; he needed something to do to keep him busy. He didn't like the idea of just sitting around with nothing to do.

* * *

Mira walked up to Martinez, "Hey!"

He jumped down from his position on the wall and smiled at her. She didn't return the smile though, she was too mad at him. "I know you asked Philip to give me that gun. I gave it back to him this morning, I don't need it."

"Mira…"

"No. I'm a grown woman, and can take care of myself."

"I was just looking out for you."

She shook her head, "I don't need you to, okay? Merle's not a threat, if he was going to change, he would've already."

"We still don't know him though."

"I know that if he was going to hurt me, he had plenty of opportunities to do so last night. You can't keep treating me like a child."

She turned to walk away, but Martinez grabbed her arm, "Mira, wait." She turned to face him, and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry. You're right; you're not a child…I just…" Her expression softened some. "If something happened to you though, I would hate myself. I promised Reese I'd take care of you and protect you." She sucked in a sharp breath at the mention of her brother. Martinez pulled her close, hugging her. He wiped away the tear that fell from her eye, "it's bad enough I couldn't help him."

"That wasn't your fault. That biter came out of nowhere." She pulled out of the hug, "I'm sorry I got so mad at you."

"It's okay," he smiled, and she returned it this time. "Promise you'll be careful around him though, at least until we know more about him."

She nodded and walked away, headed for the infirmary. When she walked in, Milton was there, "Good morning," she said to him.

He jumped, a little startled, "You're in a good mood this morning," he commented.

"Well, I'm in a better mood, I wasn't quite so happy when I woke up."

"Problems with Martinez?"

She frowned, "Something like that. I'm just so tired of him acting like I'm some sort of damsel in distress who can't help herself."

Milton smiled, "I'm sure it'll be okay. I heard we have a new resident here."

Mira nodded.

"So…you want to tell me about him?"

Mira shrugged, "There's nothing really to tell. He's tougher than nails though. He cut off his own hand, and who knows how long he was wondering around, until he arrived here."

"He sounds like a lucky man."

She nodded.

Milton finished putting things into his bag and turned to face Mira, "I'm going to go visit Mr. Crowley, I'll be back later."

"Alright."

* * *

The Governor came by the infirmary. He knocked on the door before opening it. Mira smiled, "I trust dinner went well last night."

She nodded.

"That's good." He sat down in a chair, "Merle seems tough."

She nodded again, "Tougher than most I'm sure. I know a lot of people in his situation would've just died. He's a fighter though."

The Governor smiled. "I have something for him; I thought maybe you could give it to him when you check on him tonight?"

Her jaw tightened just for a moment. "What is it?"

He handed her the metal prosthetic.

"That…looks rather interesting."

"I was able to talk to Merle today, get to know him a little more. It would be a shame to let his talents go to waste because of a missing hand."

Mira raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the Governor was hinting at.

"I would like for him to be able to work with Martinez more…not just on the wall, and I believe this could come in handy."

She smiled, "Of course." She took it from him, "I'll give it to him tonight."

* * *

Mira knocked on the door to Merle's apartment, and waited for him to answer this time. She sighed, becoming anxious. He had one hand, not one foot, it shouldn't take him this long. She was ready to go inside her own apartment when he turned the corner in the hallway.

She smiled, "There you are."

"You were looking for me?"

She nodded, "I have something for you."

He unlocked the door, and let her inside. "Groceries, I assume?" He was being sarcastic, because she obviously hadn't brought him any food.

He watched her shoulders slump, "Dang it! I knew I was forgetting to do something."

He could barely stifle a chuckle at her outburst. There was something about her. "So, you're just going to let me starve to death?"

"No!" She shook her head vehemently. "No, I'll…I'll cook for you again."

He grinned, "I already got some. I didn't really have much to do today."

She relaxed and sighed.

"So, what is it that you did bring?"

She opened the box she had carried the prosthetic in, and presented it to him. "It's from the Governor. He said he didn't want your…talents…to go to waste."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Here," she stepped forward, "I'll put it on you, make sure it fits well." She slipped the metal over his arm. Her fingers gingerly brushed his skin as she worked the leather straps, securing it in place. "How does that feel?"

He lifted his arm up, turning it from side to side, "It's not the most uncomfortable thing," he said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled at her, "It'll be fine."

She returned the smile. "I'm going to go now."

She headed for the door. Merle could tell she was still uncomfortable about the night before. Which, after seeing her with Martinez that morning, he could understand why, "Mira?"

She turned back to him, "I didn't know...you should've just told me."

She frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about. She shook her head, "Told you about what?"

"You and Martinez."

She laughed, "What about us? We're not…" she shook her head again, "We're not…together or anything."

She left, the door closed behind her.


	5. Welcome to Zombie Fight Club

The following morning, Merle was leaving his apartment the same time as Mira. He had to find something to do, he was going stir crazy. He hoped to at least be able to help on the wall; he refused to be hindered by his handicap. He was strong and could still fight, after all, he had made it this far, hadn't he? "Good morning," Mira said with a smile.

He returned her smile, still amazed that somebody like her was so sweet to someone like him. Of course, she didn't really know him that well. She hadn't seen how he can be, especially when he loses his temper. She really didn't know anything about him. What would she think if she learned what Officer Friendly and company knew and thought of him? He shook the thoughts out of his head, and asked, "Where you headed?" She wasn't dressed for the infirmary. Instead, she wore another sundress and sandals, no lab coat, and her hair was down.

She shrugged. "Nowhere in particular. With the exception of tending to you, things have been rather slow, so Milton told me to take the day off."

"Oh."

"Care to join me?"

"Okay."

She smiled again.

As they headed downstairs, he said, "So, I'm guessing people don't really get hurt around here, since you don't have anything to do."

"Not really. It's sort of like we've gone back in time. We're living in the 50s, except there are biters on the other side of the wall."

"Why do you call 'em biters?"

"Well, they bite, don't they?"

He chuckled, "I suppose so."

She smiled. There was something she liked about Merle. She knew he was crude, and she was certain he was holding back on his crudeness around her. He was tough, too, and he didn't want to be coddled because of his injury. She walked into the little library.

"This town has everything, I may never leave," he told her as he stepped inside.

She smiled, "We were just able to wall off the best part of town, that's all."

He smiled. He couldn't help it, her smile was infectious. He scanned the rows of books with her. She pulled one off the shelf and turned it over in her hand, looking at it. He just watched her.

"Um…" she didn't look up from the book as the thoughts came to her, "Every so often, there's a little…thing the Governor does. Just because it gets so…boring around here, you know? It's just a little show for entertainment, and he's doing it tonight."

"A show?"

She nodded, turning to look at him, "A sort of…exhibition, if you will."

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to give more information.

"There will be a fight tonight," she told him. "I thought, you'd like to go watch."

He smiled and nodded.

"Great," she smiled, "We can walk together."

As they left the library, Mira turned to him, "There is one thing I forgot to mention."

He raised his eyebrow again. "What's that?"

"There are biters."

"What?"

"They're chained up where the fights are." She stepped closer to him, "Don't tell anyone, but their teeth are removed, so it's perfectly harmless."

"No one knows that?"

"Just the Governor, the fighters, Milton, and me, and now you, of course. It just makes it a little more exciting. No one ever gets close enough to them anyways, but" she shrugged. "I was against the whole thing at first, but after a few weeks, you get used to it."

* * *

As Mira and Merle made their way inside the makeshift arena, the Governor welcomed them in with a smile. "I'm glad to see the two of you here." He looked at Merle, "I think you'll really enjoy the show, if Mira hasn't already spoiled it for you," he teased her.

She frowned.

The Governor smiled.

Merle returned the smile, "Not at all."

"Good, hurry and take your seats."

Mira and Merle went inside and found a spot on the little bleachers. The lights shining down were bright, and Merle was anxious to see this begin.

* * *

After the fight was over, Merle had an idea. As he and Mira were leaving, the Governor caught his attention, "Merle! If you don't mind, tomorrow morning, I'd like to talk to you about something."

Merle smiled, "Of course."

The Governor returned his smile and he and Mira headed towards their apartment building, along with a few other people.

"So does that guy even have a real name?" Merle asked as they turned the corner on their hallway.

"Phillip."

"And you call him the Governor because?"

"When the epidemic started, the military came to set up a safe haven and help with reinforcements, but they were eventually…overrun, just like in all the other places. Everyone was scared, nobody knew what to do, and he just sort of…stepped up." She shrugged, "I'm not really sure who gave him that title, but it stuck, nobody really thinks about it." She yawned. "I'm tired…so I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded, "Goodnight."

He watched her walk into her apartment before going into his.


	6. Things to Learn

_Author's Note: How awesome was the finale? Andrea's finally dead, The Governor slaughtered half of Woodbury, and Carl blamed Rick for what happened to Merle. I couldn't be happier._

Merle sat staring at the blade that was now attached to the prosthetic. He wondered if Mira had known about it, and if so, why she hadn't told him. "I'm guessing from your smile that you're happy," The Governor said.

Merle nodded, "Why do I need this though?"

"I'd like for you to have a bigger role here in Woodbury."

Merle sighed, "I don't know about that. I really just want to find my brother."

The Governor raised eyebrows, "Your brother?"

Merle nodded, "When I got out of Atlanta, I went back to the camp, but everyone was gone. I don't know where he is."

"Well, I will do everything I can to help you in your search. In the meantime, I believe Woodbury is the safest place to be."

Merle stayed silent for a minute, considering what he would say next. "What sort of role are we talking about?"

A hint of a smile touched the corners of his lips before he said, "Every now and then I send a group out to get supplies and other things we need that can't be provided for by gardening. I'd like for you to be able to go out on these scavenging missions. I believe that will make things easier out there."

"And when I find my brother?"

"He'll be as welcome here as you are."

Merle smiled, "Well then, I'm happy to stay."

* * *

Merle headed to the wall where Martinez and a couple of other guys were loading a truck, getting ready to leave. Martinez eyed him suspiciously. "You got a problem with me?" Merle asked, not liking the man much.

Martinez stared him down, "I don't see how a man with one hand can be much help."

Merle sneered, "I can still do more than you can with two."

Martinez walked closer to him, "You better watch yourself. I've seen you with Mira, and I don't like the way you look at her. She may be naïve, but I'm not. I will protect her."

Merle grinned, "I know what this is about."

Martinez raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Oh yeah, you want her, but she doesn't like you like that," the grin stayed on Merle's face as Martinez scowled.

Martinez pulled his arm back to punch Merle, but one of the other guys grabbed his arm, stopping him, "Let it go, it's not worth it." The scowl stayed on Martinez's face but he dropped his fist anyways. Merle chuckled, his grin growing even wider. "Come on."

They climbed into the truck and left.

* * *

The truck slowly rolled to a stop, Merle craned his neck to look out the window. There was a car crashed into a tree, one of the biters was under the tire, and movement could just barely be seen through windows.

Everyone got out of the truck and walked over to the car. There was a woman in the driver's seat, pinned against the steering wheel. Blood ran down her face from a cut on her forehead, and she was clearly having difficulty breathing. The biter under the left, front tire reached towards them and Martinez took a step back. Merle stabbed it through the skull. "Help me," the woman started coughing up blood. Merle stared in disgust. "Please," she just barely managed. "Help me…"

Martinez raised his gun, aiming at her.

"What are you doing?" Merle asked.

Martinez ignored him and shot the woman.

"Why did you do that?"

"There was nothing we could do but that."

Merle stared at him, "We could've taken her back to Woodbury."

"And if she turned in the truck? Or in the infirmary…with Mira in there defenseless?"

Merle gritted his teeth at the accusation that he'd put Mira in danger. "We don't even know if she was bit."

"It doesn't matter," Martinez said, turning and walking back to the truck, the others following behind him.

"Why doesn't it matter?" Merle started walking after him, as well.

"We're all infected."

"What?"

Martinez turned, "You didn't know?"

Merle shrugged, "I've been on my own for a while now, and those around me that have turned were bitten first."

Martinez thought for a moment before saying, "It doesn't matter whether or not we're bit, when we die," he pointed to the biter under the tire, "we turn into that."

"Why?"

Martinez shrugged, "I think Milton's working on that."

Merle sighed and didn't say anything else. He climbed into the truck, thinking about Daryl. He wanted, no, he needed to know where Daryl was. He had to know whether or not Daryl was still alive, if he was okay. He had abandoned Daryl too many times, times when Daryl needed him the most. But Merle had found Woodbury, and he'd find Daryl too, and they would start over.

* * *

Mira looked out the window when she heard the gates opening. The truck was returning. She smiled when she saw Merle get out. When she had heard he was going on one of the little scavenging trips she had surprised herself by being worried about him.

She walked outside and saw him walking towards her, "Hey," she said, with a smile.

"Where's the Governor?" Merle asked.

She was slightly taken aback. "Um…I think he's down at town hall. Is everything okay?"

Merle nodded, "I want to talk to him about something."


	7. Moment to Bond

"Merle," the Governor smiled upon seeing him. "I trust the run went well."

Merle nodded, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

The Governor raised an eyebrow, curious as to what Merle had to say.

"I want to fight."

"Really?"

Merle nodded, "I'm strong and tough, and I can still hold my own."

The Governor thought for a moment, "Okay, I can't make any promises though. I'm not sure how anyone would feel about facing a man with, uh…" his eyes lingered where the missing hand should've been.

"I want to fight Martinez."

"Oh." A smile started to spread across his lips, "Well, then, I'll see what I can do."

Merle grinned.

"Can I ask why you want to fight him?"

Merle thought for a moment, then gave a slight shake of his head, "There's no particular reason."

The Governor looked at him for a moment, considering his words. He was certain there was more to Merle's request, but he didn't feel like bothering with it.

* * *

When Mira found out Martinez had agreed to the fight, she wasn't happy. She went straight to Merle's apartment. She pounded on the door and he let her in. "What's wrong?" he asked, surprised by her behavior.

"Are you insane?" she practically shouted.

For the first time he could think of, he was at a loss for words. "What?"

"What are you thinking? You can't fight Martinez!"

"Why not?"

She shook her head and scoffed, "You have one hand!"

"So?"

She frowned. Merle couldn't help but smile her bottom lip stuck out and her forehead creased. "You could get hurt," she finally said.

His smile widened.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"Calm down, I'll be fine. You said yourself it's an exhibition, nobody really gets hurt. It's all for fun."

Her frown deepened, he was using her own words against her.

He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You know, I've never had anyone care about me before…not really."

He felt her relax a little and she looked up at him. She didn't say anything though.

"All I've ever really had is my brother, and he's…"

Her lips parted for a moment, and he saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. "I lost my brother too," she told him. Merle watched her. Her eyes held a far off look; she blinked twice, trying to keep the tears back.

"What happened?" Merle asked.

"He, um…" she swallowed, her throat was tight. She didn't like talking about it. She even avoided the subject with Martinez as much as possible. "He was bitten. Martinez shot him afterwards because I couldn't."

"Sorry to hear that." For a moment, Merle wondered if Daryl had become one of these biters. Or maybe he was still alive, but he was out there on his own; maybe Officer Friendly and company had deserted him after leaving Merle in Atlanta.

She shrugged, "What can you do about it? What's done is done." She looked in his eyes again, and Merle could see the pain still there. "What happened to…"

Merle shrugged, "Don't know. When I went into Atlanta with some of the others at the camp, Daryl had left to go hunting. When I finally made it back, everyone was gone, him too. I don't know if he's alive, or…" He couldn't bring himself to voice it. He couldn't show that vulnerability, especially not in front of Mira. He had let Daryl down too many times in their lives, he'd abandoned him before. Daryl probably thought that was what had happened now.

"I guess that's even harder," Mira said. "At least I know where Reese is…"

Merle nodded, hoping to get off the subject. "So, I guess you still don't want me to fight, huh?"

She shrugged, "Does it matter? Nothing I say is gonna change your mind, and I'm not physically capable of stopping you."

He grinned, "You can't, can you?"

She eased back, slipping away from his touch, "No." She thought for a moment before looking back up at him, "I have a few more things I need to do today."

He nodded an understanding, "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said back to her.

_Author's Note: I totally winged the last half of this. It was completely unplanned. I just didn't want to skip straight to the fight._


	8. Fist to the Face

Mira sat on the bleachers next to Milton, as calm as possible. "I can't believe he's doing this," she said. They were waiting for Merle and Martinez to be presented as the night's fighters.

"If he's as tough as I've heard, you have nothing to be worried about," Milton told her.

It became impossible to hear over the roar of the crowd as Merle and Martinez made their ways to the "ring." Mira looked around, noticing some people's reactions to Merle. She tried to figure out if it was because they didn't know who he was, or if it was because he only had one hand. Mira sighed and pushed her hair back, then ran a heavy hand down her face.

"He certainly looks tough," Milton commented. "He looks strong, he can probably withstand this."

"Yeah, but I don't think Martinez is going to take it easy on him."

"Why should he, just because he's handicapped? If Merle wanted him to take it easy on him, he shouldn't have agreed to the fight."

Mira sighed again, and shook her head slightly. She knew what Milton was saying was right, and Merle probably didn't want Martinez to take it easy on him. In fact, from the looks in their eyes, they looked like they wanted to beat the crap out of each other.

Merle definitely knew what he was doing. He easily dodged many of Martinez's strikes. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you show this much concern for somebody," Milton observed. Mira frowned. "I think you like him. Like, like him."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't reply.

* * *

Merle taunted Martinez throughout the fight. "I know what you're problem is," he said, his voice low so only Martinez could hear him. "You're jealous." Martinez ignored him, and threw another punch, which Merle easily avoided. "You want her, but she has no interest in you." Martinez threw another punch, but Merle side-stepped it and threw one of his own, grazing Martinez's chin with his fist as Martinez attempted to avoid it.

Merle took him down for a ground and pound. The crowd cheered. Mira stood so that she could see better. Merle stood, his arms raised in the air as the crowd cheered. Martinez stood up, anger on his face. "Merle!" His eyes locked with Mira's. "Behind you!"

He turned around just a second too late. He didn't have time to react to Martinez's fist coming at his face.

Mira had to suppress a scream as his head went backwards and he crumpled to a pile on the dirt. Martinez had knocked him unconscious. He spit blood onto the ground next to him, and walked off. Mira rushed through the crowd, and knelt down next to Merle. She looked around and spotted Bowman, "Help me," she told him. He came to her side.

* * *

Merle groaned and opened his eyes. He raised his hand over his face to shield them from the bright light above him. "Are you happy?" Mira asked.

Merle smirked and attempted to sit up, but immediately regretted it as his head started to hurt. He turned his head in the direction her voice had come from. She was gathering medical supplies. "That was just a cheap shot, I won the fight."

She sighed and shook her head. She walked over to the cot and sat the tray down on the small table. He watched as she picked up the needle and thread.

"What's that for."

"Stitches. He busted you open pretty bad."

He frowned and sat up, wincing slightly when he felt the pain again.

He gritted his teeth as she pushed the needle through the skin at the bridge of his nose. He didn't say anything, he just watched her work. She looked stern and serious. There was something else in her eyes, something that hadn't been there the last time he sat in the infirmary being patched up by her.

She made eye contact with him just for a moment, and her expression seemed to soften slightly, "You're lucky you didn't get hurt worse than you did."

He smirked, "You were worried about me."

She frowned.

"I told you I'd be okay."

"What did you say to him to make him so mad at you?"

He shook his head slightly, stopping and wincing when the thread pulled uncomfortable.

"Don't move," she reprimanded him. "If you hold still, it won't hurt."

He looked at her, his head tilted slightly and she frowned again. She tied off the last stitch and stood. He stood carefully, not wanting the pain to come back.

She looked at him, still frowning, but it wasn't the angry frown she had worn seconds before. "Here," she handed him a couple of pills and a cup of water, "For the headache."

He smiled and took them. She sighed, watching him. He stepped closer to her, and sat the cup on the counter. "Mira," he almost whispered her name.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for taking care of me. No one's ever done that before."

She shrugged, "It's my job."

His hand came up and she tensed slightly as his fingers traced her jawline. He pushed the curls back, over her shoulder. He kissed her. She tensed more, pulling away slightly, but his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She finally gave in, letting her head tilt back as he deepened the kiss, his hand cradling the back of her head.

When the door opened, she jumped away from him, and turned to see Milton walking in. "I'm sorry," he said, noticing the blush on her cheeks, "I didn't…um…I…"

"Milton, it's okay." She interrupted his babbling.

He sighed and gave a nervous smile.

"I just wanted to check and see if he was okay, and clearly he is, I'll go."

She started to stop him, but he was out of the door before she could say anything. She just stood there, unsure of what to do or say. She glanced at Merle who stood there smirking. "It's late," she finally said, "We should go."

Merle followed her out of the room.


	9. Stuff and Things I hate naming shit

"Have you eaten?" Mira asked as they headed up the stairs to their apartments.

Merle shook his head, "Nah, I've been busy, hadn't had time."

She sighed and shook her head before turning to face him, "Why don't you come in, I'll make you a sandwich."

A smile played at the corner of his lips, "Really?"

She nodded.

"All my life, no woman's ever made me a sandwich."

"Not even your mama?" she asked as she opened the door to her apartment.

He shook his head, "I basically took care of myself. If she wasn't passed out drunk, she was…" he trailed off, not feeling like telling the girl that had the perfect life about his messed up one. He followed her into the kitchen. "So you're not gonna run off again like you did last time I kissed you?"

Her cheeks reddened with a blush, and she was thankful her back was to him so he couldn't see it. She turned and looked at him, her lips pursed and an eyebrow raised. "No."

He smiled, a quiet chuckle escaping him. She walked over to the table, and sat the plate down in front of him. "I'm not sitting in your spot again, am I?" he asked.

She laughed and shook her head, "No." Mira sat down next to him.

"What is it then?" he asked before taking a bite of the sandwich.

She shrugged, "What? A girl's not allowed to just look at somebody?"

A small smirk played across his lips, "Usually people have a reason for looking at me. I've either pissed them off or…" he stopped again; she didn't need to know his past.

"I have a confession, actually."

"Oh," he tilted his head to the side slightly, curious, "I…um…I'm not nearly as controlling as I came off the other night, it was just…" she paused debating on whether or not she should actually tell him. It was too late now though, she had already started, "I had a gun, there, taped to the table."

He put down the sandwich and lifted up the table cloth, the gun was gone now.

She rolled her eyes, "I gave it back the next morning, I didn't need it to begin with. Martinez is just so…" she struggled to find the right word and sighed, "meddlesome" she finally said. Anger seeped into her tone as she said, "He thinks that just because he was Reese's best friend he can control every aspect of my life, and I…he…" She was becoming flustered. The girl with the perfect composure's shell had cracked. That also explained why she had been so angry at Martinez the morning after he had arrived in Woodbury.

Merle reached over and placed his hand on her forearm, hoping to calm her down, "Its okay," he told her.

She looked at him, still frowning slightly. She bit the inside of her lip, considering his words.

"So, what made you decide you didn't need the gun?"

"I decided to trust you."

"A horrible mistake, really," he joked.

She tried to fight the smile that was forming, but she couldn't help it. He smiled back which caused her smile to turn into a grin.

He picked up his sandwich and started eating again, "So, can a man get something to drink, or do I have to fix that myself."

"Sorry," she muttered, standing and walking over to a cabinet. She filled a glass and handed it to him.

They sat in silence while he finished eating.

Mira put the glass and plate in the sink to wash later, and walked with Merle into the living room. It was late, and she was tired. She started for the door, intending to escort him out, when he caught her hand in his. She turned around, "What is it?" she asked.

He smiled and pulled her closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her against him. The corners of her lips turned up slightly as he leaned down to kiss her again, this time with the assurance of no one walking in, and her not running off to hide in her bedroom. He let go of her hand so he could cup her face, his fingers slid through her hair.

When he finally broke the kiss she pulled herself from his arms. It wasn't like the first time though. She had a small smile on her face as she headed towards her bedroom. Merle turned to watch her. She opened the bedroom door, and stepped inside. Her hand lingered on the doorjamb, and she beckoned for him follow her.

He did.

"Can you help me with this?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

Personally, he wouldn't have cared if her dress was on or off, but he walked over to her and unzipped it anyways. She shimmied out of it, letting it fall around her feet. She turned back around to face him again.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, thinking about how innocent she was.

She smiled, "I'm a liar Merle, not a virgin."

He smiled and kissed her again.


	10. Job to Do

_Author's Note: I had hoped this would be longer, but I'm suffering from a small case of writer's block. Sorry about the lack of smut, I'm sure a few of you are a little disappointed by that, but I'm not very good at writing that._

Mira and Merle lay in her bed, there was about a foot of space in between their naked bodies. Mira just stared at him, a smile on her face. "So, you're not a prude after all," Merle finally said, a questioning tone in her voice.

She frowned slightly, "I'm prudish, at least, I can be." He raised an eyebrow at her and she smirked, "I grew up in an extremely protected environment, everything was school, school, school. Obviously, I had my rebellious stage."

"Really?"

She nodded, "You know, sneaking out, going places I didn't belong, seeing boys my parents would hate behind their backs…"

Merle shook his head and chuckled. "You're a real bad girl," he teased.

She softly punched him on the arm. His hand wrapped around her wrist, and he pulled her closer to him. She smiled, as he started trailing kisses along her jaw. She turned her head away from him as a yawn escaped her, "It is really late, Merle," she told him. "We should get some sleep."

"I guess you're right," he said, wrapping both arms around her waist and holding her against him.

She smiled and closed her eyes, falling asleep in his arms.

* * *

When Mira woke up the next morning she smiled, feeling Merle's arms around her. She turned to look at him, he was still asleep. She smiled again and gave him a soft kiss. The muscles in his face twitched and a light chuckle escaped her. She pulled herself from his grip and crawled out of bed.

She pulled on her robe before walking into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them.

Merle woke to the smell of food. He sat up and looked around, the memories of the night's events coming back to him. He smiled and untangled himself from Mira's sheets before pulling on his pants and leaving the bedroom. He walked into the kitchen to see Mira cooking. "Smells good," he told her.

She smiled and fixed their plates, before pouring them both a glass of orange juice and placing everything on the table.

They didn't say much as they ate, but the silence was comfortable. After they ate, she washed the dishes while he finished getting dressed, then walked into her bedroom so she could get dressed to. "I'll walk you to the infirmary, if you want?" he offered pulling on his boots.

She smiled, "That's very sweet of you."

He frowned, never having been called sweet before.

She laughed.

She put her shoes on, "Come on," she said, walking out of the room. He followed her to the door. They could hear a pounding through the wood. Mira opened the door and they stepped into the hall to see Martinez knocking on Merle's door.

He looked up at the two of them, frowning immediately upon seeing Merle standing beside Mira, wearing the same clothes he'd had on the night before.

"Can I help you?" Merle asked.

"Gov has a…" his eyes darted to Mira, then back to Merle, "job, for us."

The corner of Merle's mouth twitched. He wanted to smile seeing the frustration on Martinez's face, he was clearly pissed that Merle had spent the night with Mira. _If only he knew the details, _Merle's smile grew at the thought. "What sort of job?" he asked.

Martinez's frown deepened, causing his forehead to crease, "We got a run to go on."

Merle turned to Mira, "I'll walk with you some other time?"

She smiled and nodded, "Be safe."

His fingers barely touched her waist as he bowed his head, closer to her, "Don't you worry about me, okay darlin?"

She grinned, "I'll try not to."

He returned her smile, and with a glance at Martinez, lowered his head more, brushing a light kiss across her lips.

Her cheeks turned pink and he turned to walk away. Martinez gave him a dirty look before turning around. Merle followed him down the hall. Mira grinned and locked her door before heading to the infirmary.

* * *

"You know, jealousy is a very ugly thing," Merle said as they walked to the truck.

Martinez turned to look at him, still mad. There was a smirk on Merle's face, and that just made him even madder. "I thought I told you to stay away from her?" Martinez tried to keep his voice low, not wanting to attract any attention.

"Did you?" He grinned, knowing he was getting under Martinez's skin.

Martinez scowled, "She's too good for someone like you." He gave Merle a slight shove backwards, "Leave her the fuck alone."

Merle tried to reign in his temper, but it was getting difficult, "Don't you touch me!" he shoved him back, "And I'll do as I please. Mira's a big girl and doesn't need you playin big brother."

Martinez pulled his arm back, ready to punch him, but one of the other men grabbed his elbow, "Stop! This is ridiculous. Now we got a job to do, this isn't the arena, so cut it out."

Martinez yanked his arm free, and glared at Merle, but he didn't say anything. Merle's eyes narrowed, but he forced a smile, knowing it would anger Martinez more.

Martinez turned around and climbed into the truck.


	11. This ch sucks I don't know what Im doing

A few months passed, and Merle had more or less moved in with Mira. He still had his apartment next door, and that's where his things were, but most nights he ended up in Mira's bed. Even though he still disapproved of the relationship Mira and Merle had shared, Martinez managed to get over his disdain for Merle. After going on runs together and fighting in the arena, they had developed a mutual respect for each other.

Winter came and it was harder to find food for the town. The garden that had thrived in the summer and fall wasn't fruitful when the cold came. There were hunting groups that went out to find food, and the meat was rationed out. But now the cold was finally starting to lift and spring was right around the corner.

Merle came in one night and saw Mira lying on the couch. She looked absolutely miserable. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You sure? You've been…down lately."

She didn't say anything.

He picked up her feet and sat down, dropping her feet in his lap. He wasn't used to caring about anyone other than Daryl. And any other time he would've just ignored her. But seeing the girl that had been nothing but smiles since the day he arrived in Woodbury so depressed made him feel like he had to do something. Hell, maybe if he did something good, karma would reward him and he'd find Daryl again.

"Tell me what you're thinking about."

She sighed, "Tomorrow is…would have been Reese's birthday."

The corner of his mouth twitched when she said it. Everything seemed to always circle back to their brothers. In fact, their brothers were the whole reason he and Mira were together now. It had been Daryl that had pushed him to not give up on that roof or when he was escaping Atlanta. It was their brothers that had let them bond in the first place. Merle bit the inside of his bottom lip. What was he supposed to say? Why had he even asked what was wrong in the first place? They had managed to go all this time without discussing feelings, and now they were.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, "I'm sorry, I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

He nodded.

She kissed his cheek and walked to the bedroom.

Merle ran his hand over his face. He got up and left the apartment; he went outside and walked down the sidewalk. There was a chill in the air, and he could see his breath. He climbed up on the wall next to Martinez. "Everything okay?" Martinez asked.

Merle nodded.

They didn't say anything else. They didn't need to. Merle sat and watched, thinking about Daryl, about Mira. He wondered how much Mira would hate him if she knew what he had done on these runs for the Governor. He wondered how much more Daryl would be ashamed of him if he knew.

* * *

Mira woke up in the middle of the night. Her bed was empty. She got up and walked into the other room, Merle wasn't there either, she assumed he went back to his apartment, her being in a bad mood probably made him leave. She couldn't help it though, and she knew he understood. After all, he had lost his brother too, granted, his wasn't dead, but it's not like Merle knew where he was.

She went into the kitchen and drank a glass of water before going back to bed.

When morning came, she felt even worse than she had the night before. Maybe it would get easier with time, but for now, losing Reese killed her inside. She walked into the infirmary and seen that Milton was already there, "Good morning," he told her.

She forced a smile for him, "You staying?" she asked.

He shook his head slightly, "I have a few things I need to do. I'll be back in a few hours."

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

Merle started his day with a run for the Governor. They tracked down a helicopter crash in the woods, and even though there were survivors, they knew the men wouldn't make it. Merle also found an old 'friend' hiding in the bushes, spying.

After he left Michonne and Andrea with the Governor, Merle went to find Mira. He knocked on her apartment door, "It's open," he heard her call. He walked in and seen her sitting cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"Where'd you get milk?" he asked.

"It's powdered." He frowned. He had wanted to tell her that he had news of his brother, but seeing her face made him think otherwise. "How was the run?"

He shrugged, "Found a couple of survivors."

He watched her lips twitch.

"If you're still upset about Reese, I'll go," he said the words slowly, not sure how she would react. He still wasn't use to her sudden changes of behavior.

She shook her head, "I'm fine."


	12. Fun and Games

Mira spent the day helping set up for the picnic the town was having, when she ran into Milton, "How are you feeling?" he asked.

She thought for a moment, knowing he was referring to the loss of her brother and the way she had been sulking around about it. She shrugged, "As good as I can be, I guess." She looked down for a moment, then back up at Milton, "It's hard letting go. It's hard coping with what happened, but I'm finding a way to move on."

He looked behind her to the gates where Merle was opening them for the two new girls, Andrea and Michonne. Mira arched an eyebrow, noticing the look on his face, he smiled, "And would that be because of Merle?"

She turned to see him standing there, and smiled, a blush tinting her cheeks. It was no secret in Woodbury that they had connected, and most people suspected there was more to them than just being neighbors in a quiet little town trying to survive the end of the world. But they didn't talk about it. Merle and Mira didn't even talk about it. They each knew the other one cared, but their feelings beyond that were unknown, even to themselves. She shrugged and nodded slightly, "Yeah, it's been easier having him around."

She turned back to face Milton, and Milton smiled.

* * *

Merle walked into the park where the picnic tables were set up. Food lined some of the tables, along with plates and cups, and everything else needed for the celebration. A group of kids playing tag ran past him and he smiled. He looked up to see Mira playing jump rope with two little girls. They swung the rope and sang while Mira jumped, "These are the things I like to do: Salute to the captain, bow to the queen, and turn my back to the submarine!"

He picked up a cup of lemonade and sipped it, watching as she saluted and bowed, but when she turned, the rope caught on her ankle, and the rope was yanked from one girl's hand, hitting Mira across the back. The girls laughed, and even though Mira winced from where she had been struck, she laughed too. "You okay, darlin?" he called out.

She turned and looked at him, smiling, he was happy to see her smile again after so many days of being miserable. She nodded, "I'll be alright."

He sat down and watched her play. He sighed, looking around for a moment. It was a nice place to live, even with the dead knocking on their doors. It was a nice town, with nice people, despite its dark secrets that he was a part of. He had really come to think of it as home; he just wished his brother was there. At least Andrea had given him some hope. He smiled at the idea of being able to bring Daryl there; they could have a life and not have to fight anymore, not like they had before. In Woodbury he actually mattered, there were people that cared about him. He didn't feel like a useless waste, and Mira…

He sighed again thinking about her, and how close they had become. He had never once in his life expected to be with a girl like her. He had never in his life expected to have anything more than a one night stand with a woman, regardless of what they were like. But there was something different about Mira. Watching her with the other kids, he could almost imagine having some of his own. It was a thought that he had never considered before. He remembered how his daddy had raised him, and he remembered having to raise Daryl. Nobody had wanted either of them, but Mira wanted him.

He took a deep breath and shook himself from his thoughts. He looked up to find Mira again, but she was gone. He didn't see the girls she had been playing with either, and he frowned. He stood back up, and that's when it hit him, right in the middle of his back. The balloon busted, and his shirt soaked, he heard the laughter and turned around. Mira and the two girls stood there giggling like hyenas. "FIRE!" Mira shouted, and each one pelted him with another water balloon. One of them missed, but the other two hit him in the chest.

They laughed some more. "You're gonna pay for that," he said, trying not to sound menacing. He ran towards them and the two girls broke off in separate directions, laughing as they ran. Mira turned and ran too, but he was faster than her. He threw his arm around her waist, lifting her off the ground and holding her to him.

"Put me down!" she shrieked through her laughter.

"Nuh uh, I don't think I will."

"You're making my dress wet."

"You made my shirt wet."

"Put me down!" she yelled again.

"Only if you promise to help me change," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded, and her feet were once again, firmly on the ground.

They walked back to the apartment and he took his shirt off while she stripped herself of her dress. His arm wrapped around her, and she was pulled against his bare chest. She smiled as he kissed her neck, "We don't have time for that," she told him.

"When will we have time for that?"

She shrugged, pulling away from him so she could redress herself. "Maybe tonight…if—"

"There's always a condition with you," he interrupted.

She grinned, "If you win your fight."

"You're a cruel woman."

She laughed and turned back around, stepping into a different, dry dress, and pulling it up. Merle pulled on a different shirt and as she walked past him he caught her hand in his, and pulled her to him. He pressed a kiss to her lips, and she smiled. Her lips parted as if she was going to say something, but she didn't. He smiled and they rejoined the picnic.


	13. Captured

_Author's Note: I just really fucking love Merle. I can't even explain it. I totally had a legitimate author's note, but I forgot what it was. So I just wanted to tell y'all that I really, really love Merle._

Mira lay in bed, her bare back turned towards Merle. He had bested Martinez in the arena that night. His fingers trailed over her skin, tracing the faint white line across her back from where the jump rope had hit her. "You did a number on yourself."

"Mm hmm."

"Does it hurt?"

"I had forgotten all about it."

He pressed his lips against her skin, kissing the mark. She smiled as he trailed kisses up her spin, then across to her shoulder. His hand slipped around her waist, and he pulled her closer. She laughed, feeling his stubble against her neck.

"Your face is scratching me."

He nuzzled her more, and nipped her neck, and she laughed more. She leaned back against him, turning her head to look at him. He smiled at her. "I'm glad you're smiling again," he told her. "I don't like seeing you unhappy."

She reached up, placing her hand on the side of his head, "I'm just happy I have you, I don't know what I would do without you."

He shook his head slightly, "You got plenty of people here for you, Milton, Martinez…"

He stopped when she shook her head, "They're not you though."

"I ain't anything special."

She shrugged, "You don't give yourself much credit."

A silence settled over them, and they just stared into each other's eyes. When the silence was broken, it was Merle that done it, "I'm glad I ended up here."

She smiled and nodded, "Me too." The silence settled back over them, this time a little uncomfortable. Mira could see the unspoken words in his eyes, he wished Daryl was there. Of course, she didn't blame him; she wished Reese was there too.

Mira shifted in his arms so that she was lying flat on her back, and placed her other hand on his cheek. She lifted her head up and kissed him. His grip on her tightened as he kissed her back, forcing his tongue inside her mouth. She moaned against his lips as her head touched the pillow again.

* * *

When Merle woke up the next morning, he smiled at Mira's sleeping figure. He sighed and brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. He kissed her temple before getting dressed and walking out the door. He was to lead a search and kill party for Michonne.

Two of the guys ended up dead, leaving Merle with the boy he had dubbed "Neal". Michonne attacked and Merle knocked her aside as they were swarmed by walkers. After he and Neal killed them all, Merle looked around, Michonne had escaped. He sighed, "She's injured and good as dead out here."

"I'm not going to lie to the Governor."

Merle raised his eyebrows, considering his words. "What'd you say your name is?"

"Gargulio."

"Gargulio?"

He nodded. Merle scoffed and shot him in the head.

Merle made his way to a little town, still keeping an eye out for Michonne. That's when he found Maggie and Glenn. After they refused to take him to Daryl, he took them back to Woodbury as hostage. As he drove back to Woodbury, he couldn't help but smile. His brother was alive. And he'd find a way to get to him, no matter the cost.

Mira crossed his mind for just a moment, and he frowned slightly. There were so many things about Woodbury, and himself, that she didn't know. So many secrets. How would she react if she knew he had killed a man and taken two people prisoner in one day? How would she react if she knew just how many men he had killed in the last year?

He sighed, pushing her out of his thoughts. He almost wondered if he was going soft because of her, then shook his head. Dixons weren't soft. Sure he cared about her, but he cared about Daryl too, that didn't make him soft.

* * *

After Maggie and Glenn were taken to separate rooms Merle alerted the Governor to their presence, and told him Michonne was dead. On the way back to interrogate Glenn he stopped by the infirmary. He knew Mira would've found out he was on a run, and he knew she worried about him. Plus, he was looking a little beat up, and knew she'd want to tend his wounds.

He pushed open the door, "Honey, I'm home."

She smiled hearing his voice and turned to face him. She stopped when she saw him, "My God, Merle, what happened to you?"

"We were swarmed."

She walked over to him, taking his arm, urging him to take a seat so she could tend to him. "Is everyone okay?"

He shook his head, "The other three were bitten."

She frowned, "And you wonder why I worry about you."

He grinned, "I don't wonder, darlin, I know it's your favorite pastime."

She arched an eyebrow, trying to look disapproving but she couldn't fight the smile on her lips. He laughed.

When she was done, he stood, "I still need to do a few things for The Governor," he told her. "Don't let my dinner get cold."

She smiled, "I won't."

He leaned down, kissing the bridge of her nose, which caused her to wrinkle it. He grinned. She stood on tip toe and kissed his chin before he walked back out of the room.

_Author's Note: I couldn't remember the exact words; I just wanted to set up a sort of timeline._


	14. Band of Idiots

Mira was making her way home from the infirmary, night had fallen. That's when it started, the gunfire. She ducked behind a tree, her eyes closed, praying. What was she going to do? Where was Merle? She heard her name being called, and looked around, seeing Merle behind a building. "Mira, come on!"

She swallowed hard and ran as fast as she could to him. She managed to get there without injury. "What's happening?" she asked as he holstered the gun.

He ran his hand down her arms, "Are you okay?" he asked, "Did you get hit?"

She shook her head, "I'm fine, what's happening?"

"We're under attack. Another group got in."

"Why?"

He shook his head, lying to her, again, "I don't know. Come on," He moved her in front of him, hoping to shield her from any bullets that might come their way and drew his gun again. They ran for their apartment building.

Once inside, Merle wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, he kissed her. "Go upstairs, get inside, and lock the door. Don't open it for anyone."

She nodded, "Where are you going?"

"They need me out there." He turned from her and started to open the door again. She grabbed his arm, turning him back to her. "What?"

She kissed him, wrapping both arms around him, holding him close, "Be careful."

He nodded, trying to keep the fear from his eyes. He couldn't be completely sure what was going on out there, but he was certain Daryl was among the attackers.

He walked out the door, slipping from her grip. She hurried upstairs and to their apartment. She locked the door behind her. She could hear the guns firing on the street below. She peeked out the window, pulling the curtain back just a little, hoping to see Merle below; hoping to see whether or not he was okay.

She couldn't see anything through the smoke. She sighed and stepped away from the window. She went to her bedroom and kicked off her shoes before curling up in a ball on the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the blanket up over her head, she blocked out the gunshots, she tried to block out thoughts of what might be happening to Merle. Tears slipped out of her eyes, and before long, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Everyone reconvened in the arena. The Governor, now wearing an eye patch thanks to Michonne, looked at the crowd, "I failed you. I promised to keep you safe. Hell, look at me…I'm afraid! I'm afraid of terrorists who want what we have. Worse! One of those terrorists is one of own."

Merle frowned, his eyes widened when the Governor pointed at him, "He led them here!" the Governor shouted. "You let them in! You betrayed us all!" He felt Martinez push him forward as a hooded person was led to the center of the arena. The hood was removed and Merle came face-to-face with Daryl.

He quickly scanned the people in the audience as the Governor continued talking. He searched for Mira but she was nowhere in sight. He heard the Governor tell them to fight to the death, so he attacked Daryl. When he got him on the ground, he told him in a low voice, "Follow my lead little brother, we're getting out of here."

They didn't have to fight long before Rick and the others intervened. Merle led the way through the town, getting everyone to safety outside of Woodbury. He took one final look at the little town, and one final thought of Mira crossed his mind. He wondered what they would tell her about him. He wondered if she'd be punished because of their relationship.

He swallowed and set his jaw, pushing her out of his mind for good.

* * *

When morning came, Mira was woken by a knock on the door. She got up, rubbing her eyes; she made her way into the other room. There was no sign of Merle anywhere. He hadn't come back last night. She prayed to see him standing on the other side of the door when she opened it, but was instead greeted by Martinez and The Governor.

She frowned, "What happened last night? Where's Merle?" She didn't even think to ask about the eye patch.

They stepped inside without waiting for her to invite them in. "That's why we're here," the Governor told her.

Her mouth fell open and it felt as if her heart fell out of her chest, "Is he…" her voice cracked, and "Is he dead?"

Both men looked at each other, then back to her, "No, but he's as good as dead."

"I have to see him," she turned and opened the door, about to run to the infirmary. Why hadn't somebody told her last night?

"He's no longer in Woodbury," Martinez told her.

She turned back around, swallowing hard. "What do you mean?"

Martinez opened his mouth to tell her, but stopped. He couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes. It had been hard enough letting go of any chance that he would ever be with her. Now to tell her Merle had betrayed them, he couldn't.

The Governor could though, "As I'm sure you're aware, we were attacked last night. Among those attackers was Merle's brother, Daryl."

Mira closed her eyes, she felt like she couldn't breathe. She didn't need to hear the rest. Merle had abandoned them; he had abandoned her, for his brother. She was barely paying attention as The Governor told her Merle had orchestrated the whole thing. She couldn't believe it. Or she just didn't want to believe it. She wasn't sure which. She fell back against the wall, shaking her head.

"We were surprised to find you here," the Governor said. "I was certain you would've left with him, after all, the two of you are a bit of a…item."

"What are you trying to say?" she started to become nervous, not liking the situation she was in.

"How much did you know about his plans?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. I had no idea."

The Governor arched an eyebrow. "Mira, I know you and Merle have been getting cozy since day one. Don't lie to me." He stepped forward.

"I'm not lying!" She glanced from him to Martinez. If she ran, how far would she get before they caught her? "All I know is that he was looking for Daryl, he never told me he found him, he never told me where he might be. I don't know!"

"Gov," Martinez intervened, he shook his head, and "I don't think she knows anything.

The Governor sneered and left the apartment, leaving Mira and Martinez alone. Martinez stepped forward; he gently touched her shoulder, "I'm sorry."

She frowned and looked away, "Just get out."

* * *

Merle stood in the middle of the woods, his brother walking away from him. He didn't know what to do. He would be alone again. He couldn't go back to Woodbury, to Mira, he'd be shot on sight. Daryl was going back to Officer Friendly and his band of idiots, they didn't want anything to do with him. Daryl hated him now.

He swallowed hard, "Damn!" he took off after his brother. He had abandoned him too many times, and he'd abandoned Mira now too. He could at least make it up to one of them.


	15. Truth and Rescue

A few days had passed since Merle had left Woodbury. Martinez had attempted to comfort Mira, but it was no use. She suspected he was really just trying to draw information out of her, information she didn't have. Most people in the town avoided her now, worried that she'd let Merle and his "terrorists" back in for another attack. She'd hear them whispering about her, and they'd stop when she got close enough to hear exactly what they said. Most people wanted her gone. There were days when she considered leaving.

One night, she looked up towards the wall on her way home. She frowned, remembering the nights when Merle had guard duty. He'd stand there and wave to her, and she'd blow him a kiss. She blinked away the tears. The only two people she cared about were gone. She spotted that one girl, Andrea, sitting up there. Andrea noticed her looking, and gave her a friendly wave.

Mira sighed and started walking to the wall. She climbed up and sat down next to Andrea. "Are you okay?" Andrea asked.

Mira shrugged, not really sure how to respond. What had she been expecting anyways? She had never spoken much to Andrea before. Mira sighed, "You were…you knew Merle before…"

Andrea nodded slightly, "We met after," she gestured, referring to the epidemic. "I was there when he was handcuffed to that roof in Atlanta."

"Oh."

Andrea didn't say a word. She waited patiently for Mira to continue, knowing she had more on her mind than just how long Andrea and Merle had known each other.

"Do you think he really did this? That he planned an attack on Woodbury?"

Andrea looked at her, studying her face. Mira watched a biter that was a few yards away. When Andrea didn't reply right away, Mira turned her head, looking at her. Andrea shrugged, "I don't know." Mira frowned, waiting for her to clarify. "I know he wanted to be reunited with Daryl. That was pretty much all he talked about, wanting to know how he was, where I had last seen him." Andrea paused again, "I don't think he would've done this though. He had something good here; he would've wanted Daryl to come here.

"At the very least, he would've left without all this fighting. There was no reason for it. There's something more…something we're not being told."

Mira's forehead creased as she considered Andrea's words. "If the people that attacked were his brother and your friends," Mira shook her head, still not understanding why they were attacked in the first place.

Andrea sighed, "I'm gonna find a way to get to the bottom of this. We don't have to fight; we all just want a safe place to survive." She looked around, "Hell, there's room for everyone here."

Mira nodded in agreement.

She didn't have another chance to talk to Andrea. After a couple more days, and more talks of war, Mira became nervous. She walked into the infirmary one morning to find Milton there; he turned and looked at her. He sighed, "Mira, is everything okay?"

She shook her head, frowning.

"It's because of Merle, isn't it?"

She nodded slightly, "I just…there's so much that I don't understand, I just don't…"

Milton walked over to the door and opened it slightly, peeking into the hall. No one was there. He shut the door back and locked it, "Sit, I have something to tell you." She did, and he walked over and sat down next to her. In a quiet voice, he whispered, "Philip's turned into a psychopath. He had Michonne hunted down, he wanted her killed, but Merle let her go." He paused, noting the expression of horror on Mira's face. He gave her a minute before he continued, "He wants everyone at the prison dead, and he wants Michonne." He quickly checked the time, "You have about an hour before the exchange takes place. I don't know who will be there, but if you hurry, you might be able to see Merle again."

She nodded, "Can you help me get out?"

He nodded and stood, walking over to the door and unlocking it. Mira followed quickly behind him.

* * *

As Merle took a beating, he took relief in knowing he had killed a few of the Governor's men. He grappled with the Governor, but he knew it was no use. He was beaten. He thought of Daryl, he had done it for him. He had known there was a chance he wouldn't come back, but he had to do it. He had to give Daryl a chance. He felt the Governor bite down on his fingers, his teeth breaking the skin, "STOP!"

They both stopped, turning in the direction of the new voice. Mira stood there, a gun in hand, aimed at the Governor. Merle felt his jaw relax, and moved his fingers away from the Governor's mouth. They were still intact, but they were bleeding.

"Mira," the Governor said calmly, smiling, "Sweetheart, won't you put that down before you hurt someone."

She glared at him, unhappy that he was insinuating she was stupid. "Isn't that the point of a gun? To hurt somebody."

He sighed, frustrated, "Mira, this doesn't concern you. Martinez is outside, why don't you go give him the gun."

Mira shook her head, keeping the gun aimed at his. Merle took the opportunity to punch the Governor, knocking him backwards a few feet. Now on the offense, Merle attacked him again. "Let's go," Mira told him.

Merle looked at her, and sighed, exasperated.

"We have to go now; they don't know I'm here."

He hit the Governor one more time, knocking him out. And Mira led him back through the barn the way she had come. She had slipped in unnoticed when Merle had come to the Governor's attention. They quickly got into the car she had found, and she cranked it up. She left so quickly, Merle didn't even have time to put on a seatbelt. He grabbed the dash as she turned onto the road, "Drive much?" he asked.

"Good to see you too."

He smirked, "Do you even have a license?"

She frowned and glanced at him.

He grinned.

"Yes, I have a license, but I really don't think that matters anymore."

"Yeah, how long did it take you to get it?"

Her frown deepened, "I took the test three times. And I'm pretty sure the third time the woman gave it to me because she felt bad."

Merle laughed.

Once they were a good distance away from the scene, Mira stopped the car. "Let me see your hand." He frowned and her eyebrows arched. He sighed and reached over, placing his hand in hers. She examined his fingers.

"Are you gonna have to amputate?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No." She let go of his hand and turned around, she leaned into the back seat, digging through her bags. Merle smiled, looking at her butt. She wore jeans instead of a dress. The only time he ever seen her in jeans was when she was in the infirmary and during winter. She finally turned back around, a first-aid kit in her hands. She cleaned the bite marks and wrapped his fingers in bandages. "I guess I got there right on time."

"A few seconds sooner wouldn't have hurt."

"I could've just not come at all." She looked up at him, a teasing grin on her face.

He frowned, "You wouldn't do that to me."

She shrugged; "I don't know." They were silent. They just stared at each other. "What happened?" she finally asked. "That night…"

Merle frowned, and looked down at his lap.

"Please tell me. I know little bits and pieces because of Milton, but…why did your brother attack Woodbury? What…?" Her words trailed off. She was desperate to know, she had to understand. He turned his head, looking out the window of the car. She reached over, touching his forearm, "Please Merle."

He heard the desperation in her voice; he sighed and looked at her. He couldn't bear to keep it from her anymore. He told her everything; he told her about Michonne, which she already knew, he told her about Glenn and Maggie. "I would've come back for you, but…" he shook his head, "We might not have gotten out if…" He stopped when she nodded and looked away.

The silence that settled over them was uncomfortable. Merle frowned, Mira hated him now. He couldn't blame her. He hated himself too. He had known that one day this would come, one day she'd know the secrets he had kept from her over the year. One day she'd find out what he really was and find him despicable.

He sighed and opened the door, getting out of the car; he started walking back to the prison. She looked and saw what he was doing. She got out of the car too, "What are you doing?"

"Going back."

She frowned and ran to catch up to him, "Then get back in the car, it's faster."

He turned and looked at her. She arched her eyebrows, a 'why aren't you doing what I told you to' expression on her face. "You don't hate me?"

She shook her head, "No." He smiled, and she smiled back, "I missed you."

It took him a moment, but he said, "I missed you too." It was the first time he had said something like that, and his voice cracked slightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and stood on tip toe to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, "I'm never gonna leave you again."

They started walking back to the car, and Mira wouldn't let Merle have the keys. "You ain't driving again," he told her. "You'll end up killing us before we get to the prison."

"You only have one hand, and it's injured."

"You only need one hand to drive."

She shoved the keys down her shirt.

"Is that supposed to stop me?"

She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her against him, as his hand slid underneath her shirt. She laughed, happy to be in his arms again. Their game was cut short when they heard his name.

Merle stood up straight, letting go of Mira, who, even though she quit laughing, was still smiling. "Daryl, what are you doin?"

"Michonne came back to the prison and said you'd gone off on your own. I came to save your crazy ass."

Merle smirked and put his arm around Mira's shoulders, "You're a little late."

Daryl frowned, looking her over.

"It's a good thing you came when you did," Merle told her, "Little brother's a little slow."

She stifled her laughter, and Daryl walked closer. "What happened?" he asked Merle, and Merle recapped for him. The three of them got in the car, Mira reluctantly handing the keys over to Merle, and they went back to the prison.


	16. Safe and Sound

_Author's Note: Some beautiful, wonderful person on Tumblr sent me one of those picture morph things of me & Merle and what our baby would look like. It's so damn adorable. I want a Merle Jr. now._

They pulled up to the prison, and everyone rushed outside. Seeing both Daryl and Merle emerge from the car made most of them sigh with relief. Rick marched over to Merle, and in a voice only the three of them could hear, he asked, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was only doing what you wanted."

Rick's jaw tensed, and his attention was drawn away from Merle as Mira got out of the car, her bags over her shoulders. "Who's this?" Rick asked, taking a step back.

She smiled, "Mira Winters."

Rick's eyebrow arched, "You from Woodbury?"

She nodded.

Rick pursed his lips, not happy about that bit of information. He shook his head.

"She ain't leavin'," Merle said before Rick had a chance to respond.

"She's one of them."

"So was I, but you let me stay. I'm a bigger threat to you then she is."

"If my loyalty is what's in question," Mira said, walking around the car so she was only footsteps away from the two men, "I'll have you know whatever side Merle's on is the side I'm on."

Rick scoffed, "Isn't much of a guarantee he's on our side."

Mira's eyebrows arched, "He just risked his life for you,"

"Mira," Merle tried to stop her, but she continued.

"He nearly died at The Governor's hands, and you're going to question whether or not he's loyal to you." With each word her voice rose, and she stepped a little closer.

Merle grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She looked up at him and he shook his head. She sighed and glared up at Rick.

"You have no legitimate reason not to trust me."

They watched Rick's jaw tense and relax. Wordlessly, he turned and started walking back into the prison. Merle put his hand on Mira's shoulder and directed her inside. He showed her to a cell and she put her stuff down. He leaned up against the wall, watching her, "I'm sorry," she told him, her voice low.

"Sorry for what?"

She turned and faced him, "Embarrassing you in front of them. I didn't think about it when I was saying it, I didn't mean to make you seem…"

He shook his head, cutting her off, "Don't apologize. It's better bein' saved by a woman than dyin."

She smiled and walked over to him. She took his hand, smirking, and looked at his stump. Her other hand rested on the metal and she leaned into him, kissing him before saying, "It's not the first time I saved you."

He rolled his eyes, "I saved myself."

She rolled hers too, "Yes, doing a messy job cutting off your hand and cauterizing it saved you in Atlanta, but I saved you from infection. Without me there, what would you have done?"

"I'm sure the Governor could've found Milton to tend to me."

She gave him a playful shove and turned away from, walking away, feigning annoyance.

He laughed and caught her around the waist. He pulled her against him, she smiled as he nestled his face in her hair, and "I thought I'd never see you again. When I was fighting with the Governor, all I could think about was you and Daryl. I had let you both down, and then you were there, like magic."

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms again. The last few days had been pure hell. "If we ever see Milton again, we'll have to thank him. I wouldn't have gotten to you in time without him."

He grunted in agreement and kissed the top of her head, "C'mon, you should meet everyone else. They're not all as arrogant as Rick, I promise." He led her out of the cell and down the stairs to the common area that had been created where everyone was gathered making plans for the war to come.

* * *

When the Governor and his army did come knocking on their doors, Mira had been led down into the bowels of the prison along with a few others. Her nerves were getting to her down there; she had never felt more claustrophobic before. All she could think was thank God the cell doors weren't shut when she slept at night.

When it finally happened, it seemed to go on forever. When it all ended, she rushed above ground with the others to be reunited with Merle. He noticed the anxiety on her face, she had clearly been frightened, and he couldn't blame her. At least she was okay though, "You're alright?" he asked her.

She nodded, and smiled, "I was just a little claustrophobic down there, then when the smoke bombs went off and the guns and the biters," she shook her head.

He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair, smoothing it. Merle stopped when he heard Daryl clear his throat. He turned and looked at them, frowning. Daryl smirked; he couldn't believe his brother was showing concern for another human being. Merle stepped back and reached up to scratch the back of his head. Mira frowned; she hadn't really expected this change in behavior towards her.

When they were in Woodbury, they rarely spent time with each other outside of the apartment, library, or infirmary, and usually then they were alone.

Everyone was busying themselves with other things; Rick was planning a trip to Woodbury to finish off the Governor. The group that left was Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Merle. Mira reluctantly stayed behind, not wanting to leave Merle so soon after being reunited with him, but she also knew she wouldn't be much use if shit hit the fan.

At least at the prison, she'd be safe with the others, and even though she would worry about Merle, she knew he could handle himself, especially with the other three along with him.

When they did return, she was happy to see that it was with the citizens of Woodbury. She smiled and greeted them as they came in. Many of them told her they were happy to see her, and had been worried when she disappeared. She smiled and thanked them for their concern, pretending like she hadn't known what they had been saying behind her back after Merle left. She spotted him on the other side of the crowd, and she smiled at him.

He gave her a small smile back and watched him disappear inside. She excused herself from the woman talking to her, and made her way inside the prison as well. She walked to Merle's cell, and leaned against the wall in the doorway, "Long day," she said, her voice quiet.

He was sitting on the cot and looked up at her, "Yeah."

"So y'all didn't get the Governor?"

He shook his head.

"And Milton, and Andrea…"

"They're both dead." She frowned and sighed. He looked back down and untied his boots before pushing them off. She walked over and sat down on the bed next to him. He looked up at her again. She smiled and he reached up, touching the side of her face. "Mira…" he started and then paused, "I'm not…I'm not good with feelings, never have been, but I care about you, a lot. Just as much as I care about Daryl."

She smiled understanding what he was trying to tell her. It was the first time in the year they had known each other that they had talked about what they felt towards each other, and she couldn't believe he was the one to bring it up, "I feel the same." She leaned forward and placed her lips on his, her arms slipping around him. He slipped his around her waist, and laid back on the bed, pulling her with him.

_Author's Note: This might be the end. I'm not sure I can come up with anything else._


End file.
